Lead McCann Creative, Account Execs on Verizon Depart

McCann Erickson has lost both the executive creative director and account chief on its Verizon business. George Dewey, a longtime McCann veteran, left in late September while Kristin Rooney, svp, group managing director, quit the agency in early August.

The two could not immediately be reached for comment.

Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy, executive creative directors who have been working on Verizon, are replacing Dewey on the business. ToniAnn Bonade, the account lead on McCann’s MasterCard and Staples accounts, takes over for Rooney.

Dewey left to become chief marketing officer of SpaceX, the space transport company founded in 2002 by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk while Rooney is said to have gone to an undisclosed startup company.

According to Dewey’s LinkedIn profile, he joined McCann as a creative director in 1995 after graduation from Georgetown University and has been an ecd since April 2007. Dewey created the "It’s the Network" and "There's a Map for That" campaigns for Verizon Wireless. He’s also associated with creating the battle between the Verizon "Fios Guy" versus the "Cable Guy" campaign. (More recently, Dewey also contributed to the agency’s pitch for ExxonMobil, the outcome of which is still pending.) His successors, Bryan and Murphy, produced the Verizon “Dead Zone” work.

Rooney’s LinkedIn profile said she joined McCann in August 2007 after working at Cadbury Schweppes and Young & Rubicam.

In addition to Fios, McCann handles Verizon’s b-to-b business. The top executive turnover comes on a key New York account whose working relationship with McCann has eroded in recent years but still contributes an estimated $15 million in revenue to the agency.

While McCann successfully defended the Fios business in an account review last year, a month earlier Verizon made a significant shift of work out of the Interpublic agency, awarding lead creative duties on its wireless business to mcgarrybowen in New York. However, McCann Erikson has done some additional wireless creative work like the "lemonade" spot earlier this year. The Dentsu unit was founded in 2002 with Verizon as its first client but later cut from the carrier’s agency roster.

McCann Erickson has lost both the executive creative director and account chief on its Verizon business. George Dewey, a longtime McCann veteran, left in late September while Kristin Rooney, svp, group managing director, quit the agency in early August.

The two could not immediately be reached for comment.

Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy, executive creative directors who have been working on Verizon, are replacing Dewey on the business. ToniAnn Bonade, the account lead on McCann’s MasterCard and Staples accounts, takes over for Rooney.

Dewey left to become chief marketing officer of SpaceX, the space transport company founded in 2002 by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk while Rooney is said to have gone to an undisclosed startup company.

According to Dewey’s LinkedIn profile, he joined McCann as a creative director in 1995 after graduation from Georgetown University and has been an ecd since April 2007. Dewey created the "It’s the Network" and "There's a Map for That" campaigns for Verizon Wireless. He’s also associated with creating the battle between the Verizon "Fios Guy" versus the "Cable Guy" campaign. (More recently, Dewey also contributed to the agency’s pitch for ExxonMobil, the outcome of which is still pending.) His successors, Bryan and Murphy, produced the Verizon “Dead Zone” work.

Rooney’s LinkedIn profile said she joined McCann in August 2007 after working at Cadbury Schweppes and Young & Rubicam.

In addition to Fios, McCann handles Verizon’s b-to-b business. The top executive turnover comes on a key New York account whose working relationship with McCann has eroded in recent years but still contributes an estimated $15 million in revenue to the agency.

While McCann successfully defended the Fios business in an account review last year, a month earlier Verizon made a significant shift of work out of the Interpublic agency, awarding lead creative duties on its wireless business to mcgarrybowen in New York. However, McCann Erikson has done some additional wireless creative work like the "lemonade" spot earlier this year. The Dentsu unit was founded in 2002 with Verizon as its first client but later cut from the carrier’s agency roster.